Refrigerator utility drawer mounting



c. F. PETKWITZ a yes REFRIGERATOR UTILITY DRAWER MOUN' 2, Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 18, 1952 INVENTOR.

.Cai E Perkwifz BY v mam M7 -'C. F. PETKWITZ REFRIGERATOR UTILITY DRAWER MOUNTING Feb. 9, 195-4 -2 Shuts-Sheet 2 Filed June 18, 1952 I I l I I l l l l I l l I l l L I l l l l l l |l INVENTOR. Pe fkwifz Carl BY Fig. 7

Patented Feb. 9, 1954 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR UTILITY DRAWER MOUNTING Carl F. Petkwitz, Oakwood, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Application June 18, 1952, Serial No. 294,151

1 Claim. 1

1701's it is an v increasing problem to p v 5 description, reference being had to the accoma cabinet in which food products of various types, panying drawings, wherein a preferred form of shapes and sizes relative to one another may have the present invention is clearly shown. a proper place of storage therein without mate- In the drawings: rially increasing the size of the food compart- Figure 1 i a front i of household ment in a Cabinet and Wit out u u y Sac fic g frigerator cabinet having my invention embodied a part of t e storage ar a or sh lf supportin therein and showing the food storage compartsurface within a compartment of predetermined ment door thereof in open position; size. With this problem in mind the following Figure 2 is an enlarged side view of a covered objects and advantages of the present invention receptacle device within the food compartment will become apparent. supported from an upright side wall thereof and An object of my invention is to provide an imis taken on the line 22 of Figure 1; proved food storage arrangement in a refriger- Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional ated food compartment of a refrigerator cabinet view of the covered receptacle device taken on and a novel container device therein which forms the line 3-3 of Figure 2; a cheese storage chest for keeping cheeses in a Figure 4 is a fragmentary top view of the soft palatable condition over long periods of time. covered receptacle device and is taken on the Another object of my invention is to provide a line d-4 of Figure 3; novel covered food storage receptacle device and Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on article supporting shelf arrangement within a the line '55 of Figure 4 showing a means on refrigerated compartment of a household rethe supporting frame for locking the cover of frigerator cabinet so as to permit the storage the receptacle device thereto; within the compartment of different types of Figure 6 is a detailed sectional view taken on foodsand variously shaped or sized articles withthe line 66 of Figure 4 showing a boss on the out materially reducing or impairing the total cover of the receptacle device fitted in a space storage capacity of the compartment. between ends of the supporting frame; and A further object of my invention is to space Figure '7 is a detailed sectional view taken on shelf or the like elements in vertical relation to the line ll of Figure 4 showing the cover of one another in a food compartment of a refrigthe receptacle device fitted behind a front angle erator to define a storage area within the comiron on the supporting frame. partment of predetermined size adapted to re- Referring to the drawings, for illustrating my ceive and store tall articles such as bottles of invention, I show in Figure 1 thereof a housemilk and bottled beverages in an upright position hold refrigerator cabinet I9 having a metal outer therein and to divide a portion of the tall pre- Shell of Panels H and a metallic liner 2 p ced determined sized storage area into a plurality of therefrom, in the conventional manner, o formv smaller areas for receiving and storing relatively 40 a plurality of Walls including upright Side Walls short in height articles by a covered utility or a fwd o age compartment [4 within cabinet cheese storage receptacle device whereby the Any sultalole or desirable iPSu1ating mate' shelf supporting area within the cabinet is in- Hal '5 (See Flgures and 4) 1s placed m.the creased. space oetween the cabinet outer walls I and l ner It is a more specific object of my invention to Food Storage comparFment i provlded slideably suspend the cheese sto age or utility with the usual access opemng whlch 1s normally closed by a door ll, shown in open position. The ljeceptacle devlce descllbed m w fffi'egomg P outer walls H of cabinet it) are extended downects from a cover therefore which is secured to Wardly beyond Compartment '4 to provide a a horizontal part of an inverted substantially L.- Chine Compartment in the lower portion of the S p d mflullting frame having its Vertical P cabinet. A closed refrigerating system is assotion attached to an upright side wall of a food ciated with cabinet Iii and includes a refrigerant compartment of a refrigerator cabinet whereby translating apparatus such as a conventional the weight of articles supported upon its cover motor-compressor-condenser unit (not shown) is prevented from being transmitted to a shelf ordinarily mounted in the machine compartment 2 within the food storage compartment of the cabinet.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following of the cabinet. This refrigerating system also includes a cooling means or evaporator I8 located in the top portion of compartment I4 to form a freezing chamber therein for the reception of frozen foods or trays of water to be frozen. Evaporator I8 preferably extends entirely across compartment I4 and has doors providing access to the freezing chamber formed thereby. The remainder of the food storage compartment I4 is divided into a plurality of storage spaces by suitable partitions or baffles and food supporting shelves. The refrigerating effect produced by evaporator I 8 of the refrigerating system cools and causes air in compartment I4 to circulate throughout the interior thereof as is well known in the art.

In the present disclosure a horizontal drip pan or bafile element 2| is located under the evaporator I8 and a horizontal shelf element 22 is vertically spaced from the baffle element 2!. These elements 2| and 22 extend substantially entirely across the interior of compartment I4 intermediate its upright side walls to define within the food storage compartment an area of predetermined size adapted to receive and store tall articles in an upright position (see Figure 1). For example, tall quart ginger ale or other bottled beverages as well as bottle milk may be supported on shelf 22 within the predetermined sized area formed in compartment I4 by the elements 2I and 22. According to my invention it is desirable to locate a covered utility receptacle device within compartment I4 in such manner as to relieve a food supporting shelf in the compartment of the weight of such a device and without destroying any of the food supporting shelf area therein. I therefore provide a device of this character within compartment I4 which is generally represented by the reference numeral 23 in Figure 1 of the drawings. A heavy metal wire or bar frame 24, which is formed into a rectangular shape and thereafter bent into a substantially L- shape, is inverted and positioned within compartment I4 in the predetermined sized area therein between the elements 2I and 22. Frame 24 forms means for supporting the covered receptacle device 23, within this area of predetermined size and is removably secured to liner I2 at one of the upright side walls of compartment I4. The wire or bar frame 24 has its vertical leg fitted in slots provided in horizontally spaced apart and aligned shelf or the like pegs 26 (see Figures 2 and 4) secured to liner I 2 in any suitable or conventional manner (see Figure 3). One or more slotted shelf or the like pegs 21, lo-

cated below pegs 26, receive the bottom horizontal part of the vertical leg of frame 24 to support the same from liner I2. The pegs 26 and 2'! are arranged to prevent movement of frame 24 in all but a vertical direction. Thus frame 24 may be detached from the side wall of compartment I4 or from liner I2 by elevating the same relative to the pegs 26 and 21. The front side of the horidontal leg portion of wire bar frame 24 has an angle iron piece 29 welded thereto with its vertical portion extending upwardly above the frame 24 (see Figures 2, 4 and 7). Frame 24 is fabricated from a continuous wire or bar and it will be noted that its ends 3I and 32 are terminated in spaced relation to one another (see Figures 4 and 6) for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The angle iron piece 29 forms a trim strip and conceals the spaced apart ends 3I and 32 of frame 24 from view at the front of the device 23. The rear portion of frame 24 has a pair of horizontally spaced apart inwardly projecting studs 33 thereon (see Figures 3, 4 and 5) for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

Receptacle device 23 includes two cooperating component parts fabricated of any suitable material and preferably'formed of clear or transparent molded plastic material. The one part of device 23 comprises a combined lid or cover supporting member 36 provided with a depending flange 31 extending along the back and sides thereof (see Figures 3, 4 and 5). Member 33 has an edge portion indicated at 38 (see Figures 3 and 4) projecting outwardly beyond the main cover portion along one side thereof which rests upon frame 24. The front and rear edge portions of cover member 38 also rest upon frame 24. In order to detachably lock member 36 of the device 23 to frame 24 I provide holes M in the flange 37 at the rear of member 36 into which the studs or pins 33 fit (see Figures 4 and 5). I also provide cover member 36 with an integral depending lug 42 at its front edge portion which lug is adapted to be located in the space between the ends 3I and 32 of the wire rod frame 24 (see Figures 4, 6 and 7). To locate cover member 36 in place upon the frame 24 its front edge is held above the angle iron 23 so as to position its back flanged edge forwardly of the studs or pins 33. Member 36 is held at an angle and then moved rearwardly to cause the pins 33 to be received in the holes 4| whereupon its front edge may be lowered upon frame 24 behind the angle iron piece 23 with the lug 42 being received in the space between the ends 3| and 32 of frame 24. Thus the combined article support and cover member 36 of device 23 is detachably interlocked with frame 24 and secured against movement in all directions relative thereto except that its front edge may be raised to slide the holes 4| forwardly to detach member 36 from the frame. That portion of flange 31 along the two long sides of member 36 has an integral inwardly directed ledge 44 thereon (see Figure 3) which serves to provide or form opposed tracks for slideably receiving a drawer or receptacle part of device 23.

An open top drawer or receptacle 46, preferably also formed of clear or transparent molded plastic material, forms a part of the utility device 23 and has its top edge along the sides thereof flanged outwardly as at 41 (see Figure 3). The flanges 41 rest on the opposed tracks 44 of the lid or cover part 36 of device 23 to slideably suspend the receptacle 46 therefrom. The flange 31 along the rear edge of cover member 33 is adapted to be engaged by receptacle 46 and therefore this portion of flange 31 provides a stop for the rearward sliding movement of the receptacle on its tracks. An integral finger grip or handle 48 is provided at the front of receptacle 46 to facilitate sliding movement of the receptacle relative to its cover. It will be noted that the frame 24 supports device 23 in spaced relation to the side wall of compartment I4 to thereby permit air, cooled and caused to circulate by the evaporator I8, to flow therebetween. It will also be noted that the cover member 36 of device 23 is spaced from the uppermost element 2I and that the bottom of receptacle 43 of device 23 is spaced from the lowermost element 22. Thus cold air circulates entirely around the covered receptacle device 23. By spacing the device 23 as shown in Figure l of the drawings it divides a portion of the area of predetermined size, formed between the elements 2I and 22, adjacent the one side wall of food storage compartment [4 into a plurality of smaller storage areas one above and the other below the covered receptacle device. Thus the top of cover member 36 provides additional food supporting shelf surfaces within compartment I 4 since articles which are short in height such as jelly jars 0r glasses, etc., may be supported thereon in the smaller area above the covered receptacle device 23. Small articles such as short-in-height fruit jars and the lik may be supported on the shelf element 22 immediately below the covered receptacle device in the other of the smaller storage areas.

The covered receptacle device may be entirely closed or it may be vented as desired. However device 23 serves as a utility drawer or receptacle for isolating certain food products from air circulating within the food storage compartment 14. In this respect utility drawer or receptacle 46 of device 23 forms an ideal place of storage for some wrapped food products, particularly cheeses and the like. Experiments have shown that cheese, after having its original sealing wrapper once opened is very seldom again rescaled properly, placed in the main food storage compartment of a refrigerator soon becomes dried out and turns hard. Such hard, dried-out cheese is usually thrown away and wasted because it is not edible in its original state and is usable only when melted and cooked with other foods such, for example, as macaroni, spaghetti and vermicelli. Cheese placed in the receptacle drawer 46 of the present covered device 23 is kept soft and edible in its original state or condition over long periods of time.

From the foregoing it should be apparent that I have provided an improved food storage arrangement in a food compartment of a refrigerator. My covered receptacle or utility drawer device occupies a very small portion of the food storage compartment and increases the food supporting shelf surfaces therein. It also serves as a location for the storage of certain food products and therefore forms an ideal cheese storage chest in the refrigerator. By supporting the covered receptacle device solely from a side wall of the food compartment the weight of its contents and that of contents placed on top of the same is not transmitted to a shelf within the compartment, which shelf would otherwise have to be made much heavier and stronger than is ordinarily required. The various component parts of the covered receptacle device and its supporting frame may be readily dismantled and removed for cleaning the interior thereof.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claim which follows.

What is claimed is as follows:

In a refrigerator, a cabinet, said cabinet having a compartment therein, a closed refrigerating system associated with said cabinet, said system including a refrigerant translating unit and a re frigerant evaporator for cooling the interior of said compartment, vertically spaced apart elements extending continuously across said compartment to define therebetween an area of predetermined height adapted to receive and store tall articles in an upright position, a covered receptacle device in said compartment, means independent of said elements for mounting said device within said area of predetermined height, said mounting means positioning the bottom of said receptacle device in spaced relation above the lowermost of said vertically spaced apart elements to form within said area of predetermined height a first smaller food storage area, said lowermost element providing a support for receiving and storing relatively short in height articles within said first smaller food storage area beneath said device, said mounting means positioning the cover of the receptacle of said device in spaced relation below the uppermost of said vertically spaced apart elements to form a second smaller food storage area within said area of predetermined height, said cover of said receptacle providing a support for receiving and storing relatively short in height articles thereon within said second smaller food storage area above said device and below said uppermost element, and said independent mounting means preventing the weight of contents of said receptacle device and the weight of articles supported on the cover thereof from being transmitted to either of said elements.

CARL F. PETKWITZ.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 397,984 Hess et al Feb. 19, 1889 2,065,116 Constantine et al. Dec. 22, 1936 

